Pressure to publish and fraud in science

Abstract

Pressure to publish is an overworked and ill-used phrase that encompasses at least two meanings: the pressure an individual scientist may feel, and the pressure exerted by the institutions of science. It is important not to confuse the two. A modest level of institutional pressure is legitimate and healthy for science. Persons who respond to these pressures by publishing extravagantly may be doing a disservice to impressionable young colleagues and to the notions of responsible authorship.